Manhole-cover.



J. MQKEON.

MANHOLE COVER.

APPLICATION FILED mum, 191s.

I Patented July 7, 19M

llil I -view of the wrench for operating vamp --JOHN MOKEON, OF CHICAGO,ILLINOIS.

MANHOLE-COVER.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented July 7, 19141..

Application filed March 1, 1913. Serial No. 751,424.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that 1, JOHN MCKEON, a citizen of the United States,residing in the city of Chicago, county of Cook, and State of Illinois,have invented certain new an useful Improvements in Manhole- Covers, ofwhich the following is a specification.

Man-hole covers generally consist of a base ring in the form of acasting that is embedded in various kinds of material and which isprovided with a cover that lies flush with the top surfaces of the baseand street or sidewalk in which the base is embedded. These man-holecovers are usually in exposed places and are subject to heavy traffic.It is therefore highly desirable to provide some form of locking means.etween the cover and the ring so as-to prevent the cover displaced.Furthermore, man-hole covers are used in largenumbei's and it is,therefore, highly important that they be produced most economically.

The primary object of my invention, therefore, be economically molded orcast and to form a cover provided with a locking mechanism so simplethat the parts thereof may be all molded or cast and without thenecessity of expensive machine work upon such castings to make thevarious parts accurate.

To these ends I have designed a structure that is simple and economicalto manufacture and which will prevent the cover from being accidentallydisplaced.

In the accompanying drawin I have shown the preferred form of my eviceand in which drawing- Figure 1 is a top plan pleteman-hole cover; Fig. 2is a the line 22 of Fig. 1; Fig.- 3is a plan view of the cover; Fig. 4is view of my comsection on bottom a detail the locking mechanism. Fig.5 is a section on the line 5-5 of Fig. 1. 1

Referring now more-particularly to the drawing, he base or ring 5 isprovided with an integral flange 6 and an annular shoulder 7 is formed..on the inner side of the base upon which the cover is designed torest. Stop blocks 8 are integrally formed with the base and projectslightly above the upper surface of the shoulder 7 and beneath thesestop blocks recesses 9 and- 9 are formed to receive the ends of thelockingbars-Which will be hereinafter described. The base is ed, thediameter of from becoming accidentally is to so form the base that itmay 14 and'an opening blocks 21. The flange preferably annular incross-section and it is to be noted that the entire structure is sodesigned that it mav be cast or molded very simply.

The cover tion of metal that is preferably cast or moldat its top. Thecover is provided with an annular flange 11 vand integrally formed withthejc'over are a ening ribs 12 terminating at their inner ends 1n aguide box 13 which is formed with an opening 14, but the construction ofthe box is such that the width of the opening 14 is shorter than thewidth of the box. The box is divided into two guide-ways 15 and 15" inwhich the locking bars 16 and 16 slide. The box is provided with anopen-' ing 17 at one end and an opening 18 at its other end throughwhich the locking bars 16 and 16 respectively, slide. A guide block 19is formed integral on the under side of the cover and in line with theopening 20 is formed centrally of the cover and extends throughthe coverand guide block 19. The locking bars are guided at their outer ends bythe'guides 21, which are formed withv suitable apertures .22 throughwhich the bars 16 and 16 slide.

- vThe locking bars are provided with suitable recesses 28 and 23 formedon one of the sides of each bar to receive the ends of a lever 24, saidlever being provided with a hexagonal stem 25 which projects through theopening 20, but terminates short of the top surface of the cover. Theopening 20 is sufficiently cut away on the top surface 'of the cover toprovide clearance for the wrench 26. To prevent the locking bars frombecoming accidentally displaced the pins 27 are secured thereto toprevent the locking bars from sliding through the 11 on the cover 10 iscut away at two points as shown at 28 so as to allow the flange 11 torest upon the atthe same time the shoulshoulder 7 and ders 8 prevent therotation of the cover relative to the base, since they extend into thecut away portions 28. I

It will be seen from the foregoing description that the base is of sucha simple'construction that it may be easily cast or molded and that thecover with the integral box for receiving the locking bars may readilycast. The locking bars themselves,

10 consists of a disk-like secwhich is substantially the same as theinternal diameter of the base plurality of strengthe also as well as thelever, are intended to be also cast and the parts are assembled asfollows: The locking bars are slid through the guides 21 and through theend openings 17 and 18 into the guide-ways 15 and 15 with therecesses 23and 23 in the locking bars lying beneath the under surface of the box13.

will be confined by the walls of the box and by securing pins '27 toeach locking bar the outward movement of the locking bars is limited bythe pins, thereby preventing the lever from being turned upon its pivotsufliciently far to again assume .a position parallel to the long axisof the guide block 19-. The locking bars may thereafter be ac-' tuatedby a key such as shown in Fig. 4 engaging the nut end of the stem on thelever so as to move the outer edge of the i notches,

,-"site sides of the inner ends of said locking bars into the recesses 9and 9 and towithdraw the locking bars from said recesses for the purposeof locking and unlockingthe cover to the base.

Having now described my invention, I claim:

1. Ina man-hole cover structure, the combination with'a base forming acover seat, a cover resting on said seat and having a .central openingtherethrough, a box-like structure cast on the cover at the centerthereof, lockin bars slidable at their inner endsvradially t rough saidbox structure to carry their outer ends towardor away from said base,said base havingnotches for re ceiving the outer ends of saidbars, theoppobars hava plate resting in said box its ends engaging in said barand a polygonally ended stem cast integral with said plate and extendingtherefrom through said cover opening.

2. In a man-hole cover structure, the combination with a base comprisinga Vertical base ring forming a cover seat, a cover resting on said seatand having a central opening therethrough, a box-like structure castintegral with the cover on the lower side thereof, locking bars slidableat their inner ing notches, structure with ends through said box-likestructure at the 1 sides thereof, said base having openings forreceiving the outer ends of the-bars and the opposite sides of the innerends of the bars having notches, an actuating key for the barscomprising a plate and asteln integral therewith, said box-likestructure having a longitudinal slot in its base between the lookingbars into which the key plate may be inserted and then turned intoposition trans: verse of the box structure notches of the locking bars,extending through the cover opening, and projections on the outer endsof said bars for limiting the outward movement thereof to preventturning of the key plate into parallelism with the box structure slotthere- .by'to prevent escape of the key.

' In a man-hole coverstructure the combination. with an annular base'having a cover seat, a cover restin on said seat, a box-1ike extensionfrom t e lower face of said cover at the center "thereof, guide bars thekey stem 'slidable through said box extension at the 7 sides thereof,said base havingslots for receiving the ends of said bars, the innerends of the bars having notches, a key in said box extension engagingwith its ends in said notches, said coverhaving an opening therethrough,a stem extending upwardly from said key through said' opening having apolygonal end whereby a wrench may be applled to effect turnin of thestem and key and thereby radial shifting of the lock ting bars, therebeing a longitudinal opening through the floor of the -.box extensioniof less width than the length of said key but of suflicient length toallow insertion ;of the key into the box extension, said key to engagein the gafter insertion extending substantially at ;right angles withsaid entrance opening and ilocking bars.

5 4. The combination, with the base having irecesses, of a cover to reston said base, a bo'X formed integral with said cover having a sideopening and two end openings, a plurality of integral strengthening ribsextend- :ing rom substantially the periphery of said vcover to said box,locking bars slidably mounted in said box at their inner ends, guideblocks integrally formed on said cover through which said locking barsslide at theirouter ends, an oblong opening in one -side of said box,recesses formed in said locking bars near their inner ends, a lever oIless'length than the opening in said box but greater in length, than thewidth of said box and the'ends of which lever are adapted to'enter therecesses in said locking bars fand means for actuating sald lever,substantially as described.

I JOHN MoKEON. Witnesses:

JAMES R; OFFIELD, SADIE M. RYAN.

